Anxiety Awareness

The following post is an article I wrote for university. Hopefully to raise awareness.

Anxiety and panic attacks can happen to anyone at any time. For some it is a one off that does not happen again. For others, it is a life long issue.

Anxiety is a normal human reaction. It is part of the fight or flight response to situations. Anxiety becomes a problem when it happens in ‘normal’ everyday situations.

Having a panic attack can feel like something from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The room spinning out of control whilst you feel in slow motion and everyone around you is speaking in tongue. The problem is this is not a self induced drug high. This is your brain reacting to a situation it does not like. You feel as though there is no end to the spinning and whirling. Your chest tightens, your breathing becomes shallow and infrequent, your hands become clammy and all you can think about is the panic attack. This heightens the fear deep in your stomach, anxious about the anxiety, a vicious circle.

Nicola Elton*, from Birmingham, has experienced anxiety and panic. She says that when with was suffering with some anxiety she was having trouble sleeping, worrying about what would go wrong instead of what could go right and how she could deal with it. She says she would take her work home with her and couldn’t switch off and was breaking down at work, regularly doubting her abilities to do the job. Nicola started taking a herbal remedy, available at most chemists, and that has helped her to switch off. When asked how effective the pills were, she said “so-so, still taking them now depending on who I’m working with, just to allow myself to switch off. They do work but take time”.

Paul Smith*, also from Birmingham, has a similar story to Nicola with anxiety being usually due to situations at work. Paul describes a panic attack to me. He says “the pain is unbearable and unlike anything else. I never knew that panic attacks were like this, I always assumed it was breathing problems and heart rates going up”. Paul described how something as small as a text from someone could set off a panic attack. Paul had been upset by what this person had said and this triggered panic. That night he woke with pain in his chest, “it was like a heavy person was standing on my chest, the pain shot through my ribs, right through to my back, up my neck, in my throat and down my left arm. I panicked thinking I was having a stroke. I tried to calm myself down and my heart slowed, the pain eased and in about half an hour I had fallen asleep. I went to the doctors that morning for a check up and she said it was a panic attack that I was going through.” Weeks later, Paul was still having panic attacks so went back to the doctors where he was prescribed medication. “They (the panic attacks) are slowing down but I am still getting them, probably every two to three days and they still hurt, but not as much. They are going to influence a change in the things I do and how I’m going to work”.

Nicola and Paul both experience panic and anxiety, but at very different levels. With one in four experiencing something similar every year, mental illnesses need to be accepted as part of life and nothing to be ashamed about. 

From a biological point of view, the amygdela is responsible for experiencing panic attacks. The amygdela are a pair of small organs in the temporal lobe of the brain and is part of the limbic system whose primary role is the processing of emotional reactions such as the stress response, otherwise known as the fight or flight response. They form and store memories associated with anxiety which means for each panic attack experienced, it remembers this to apply to similar situations. So once someone has experienced a panic attack they can often experience them again in similar situations to the first one. Sadly, the number of places someone experiences panic attacks can quickly grow.

Each attack can potentially create a new situation to avoid. Duncan Quinney, a therapist who deals with anxiety and panic attacks, says that what he still finds unfortunate, is that people tend not to talk about anxiety or panic, as if it is something to be ashamed of. “There is a stigma attached to mental health issues which keeps people suffering alone and this creates a negative paranoia that they are the only ones suffering in this way, which accentuates their anxiety.”

According to mind.org.uk, 1in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Around 300 people out of 1000 will experience mental health problems every year in Britain. 230 of these will visit a GP. 102 of those will be diagnosed as having a mental health problem. 24 of those will be referred to a specialist psychiatric service. 6 will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals. With statistics like these, it’s important that mental health issues, like anxiety and panic, are talked about.

Duncan described a panic attack as “the body’s natural reaction to a perceived threat. It can be described as the sudden onset of intense fear and apprehension. Therefore, the experience can be terrifying.”

How do I recognise a panic attack?

Hyperventilating

Tingling or Pins & Needles

Shaking

Strong feelings of fear

Dizziness

Fainting

Unable to draw breath

Fear of losing control

Fear of being ‘mad’ or mentally ill

Hot or cold flushes

Sweating

These responses are part of the fight or flight response. It is due to a secretion of certain hormones, the inhibition of others and the activation of particular parts of the nervous system. It’s purpose is to mobilise energy, blunt pain, sharpen thoughts and make sure the right parts of the body are getting the energy needed to fly or fight.

Any situation can bring on a panic attack. Eating out, driving, public speaking, going out, anticipating going out, being in a similar situation to previous panic situations, etc etc. Even something that a person normally enjoys, like a cinema trip, can spark anxiety.

If you experience anxiety or panic attacks frequently it’s advised to see your GP. Anxiety and panic can be treated in a number of ways. Often, self education is a good start to allow you to gain an understanding of what is happening. Both hypnotherapy and counselling can be very effective to build new coping strategies, look at possible causes and develop long term ways of coping. Sometimes a GP will prescribe medication to ease the anxiety. Quite often, these are only a small dose and just make everyday life a little easier and stop the vicious circle. Each individual is different and will need specific help.

For more information visit:

http://www.mind.org.uk/

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/

or if you think you may have a problem, visit your GP.

* Names have been changed